Pat Riley has finally come out and spoken after the Miami Heat’s first round sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Miami Heat made it to the playoffs after once again winning the play-in tournament, where Andrew Wiggins put up a memorable performance to lead the team.
However, they completely fizzled out in the playoffs and were dominated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in all four games of the first-round.
After losing, three of the Heat’s highest paid players even refused to speak to the media.
Tyler Herro, who is considered to be one of the best players on their roster, also had a poor series against the Cavaliers.
This made things further difficult for the Heat and their fans were not happy with team president Pat Riley after another early exit in the playoffs.
Just over a week since their exit, the 80-year-old has finally come out and spoken about the problems the team faced during the season including the standoff between him and Jimmy Butler.
Riley admitted the Butler situation had a tremendous impact on the team this season.
The six-time All-Star wanted a max-extension, but Riley refused to offer him the contract and that led to months of turmoil between the two.
In the end, Butler was traded to the Golden State Warriors and Heat received Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson. However, they were eliminated in the playoffs first round with a 4-0 sweep by the Cavaliers.
Riley said: “There’s no doubt what happened with Jimmy had a tremendous impact on our team. The buck stopped with me. I’ll take that hit. What happened in the regular season, I don’t want to discuss.”
Butler was suspended three times by Riley for various reasons before being traded to the Warriors.
Although things did not end well between Riley and Butler, the veteran coach and team president had words of praise for the player.
“I wish him well, good luck to him and I hope deep down in his heart somewhere, he wishes us well too,” said Riley.
Riley also refused to apologize for not offering Butler the max-contract.
He added: “I’m not going to apologize for saying no on the contract extension. I don’t think I should.”
Riley is deservedly one of the most respected figures in the league.
Magic Johnson recently showed his love for Riley, as the 80-year-old had been a championship winning coach of the LA Lakers in the past.
However, over the past two years, he has come under the spotlight due to the Heat’s disappointment in the playoffs.
Many have also called for Riley to quit the Heat, including fans who feel it is time for change.
Speaking on his future, he said: “I just turned 80 and I’m proud of it and the new 80 is the new 60, that’s how I look at it.
“I’m competitive as hell. I love being in the bowl. I’m an Irish guy and so there’s a disorder that I have by being Irish and hating losing because it makes me miserable and when you’re miserable you get depressed.
“I got a little depressed after the last two games. Micky [Arison] and Nick [Arison] and I met and they’ve been very good to me, and they said carry on, Pat. I’m going to carry on and try to make this thing better.”
Riley was the man who changed the fortunes of the Heat by bringing in talented players, who helped the team win championships.
Although he has failed to deliver in the last few years, the Heat still have a lot of talent on their roster who they can use to execute trades.
One player he clearly wants to stay is Tyler Herro, who becomes eligible for an extension later this year.
“We’re happy to have him. He’s pivotal for us as an offensive player,” Riley said.
“We need more around him to do a little more of what he does. He’s getting beat up, getting overly schemed. I hope he can stay here the rest of his career.”
Riley has admitted the team will look different next season and if that happens, things could turn around and people could once again start putting respect on his name.
